Departmental stock in the Highlands in the early seventies

[Ben Alder]

As part of my foray into photographing rolling stock in the early seventies, I came across examples of the various vehicles that found their way into the hands of those responsible for the upkeep of the line, and I thought that it might be best to gather them in one place rather than have them in the different location topics that I am posting as I scan through my photos. So here are some of them.

 

 

 

DE 321020 built by Metro Cammel York 1938 Helmsdale 30/7/71

 

 

Another Gresley at Helmsdale

 

 

 

 

The following two I have shown in the Wick photos, but for completeness have included them here as well.

 

DE 320374 ex NBR built by Pickerings.

 

 

DE321057 built Doncaster 1933

 

 

DE 161204 Built Darlington 1930 in use as a painters store van.Helmsdale 30/7/71. I have noted that this van and DE321020 were at Thurso 23/7/71 and one of these views shows it there.

 

 

 

DM 471315 ex LMS 3 plank open at Helmsdale 30/7/71

 

 

DM 479728 built Wolverton 1948 lot no 1521 again at Helmsdale

 

 

DM 470739 built BRCW 1935 seen at Thurso 23/8/71

 

 

DM 740148 built Derby 1937 lot no 1028 Helmsdale

 

 

DM 475526 built 1927 lot no 1015 Helmsdale

 

[Ben Alder]

DM 477389 at Georgemas

 

 

DM 742646 at Georgemas

 

 

DB 989321 Mermaid at Georgemas

 

 

Stock at Helmsdale, with some modernity creeping in.

 

 

PW crane at Oban 7/72

 

 

Wickham trolley at Forsinard 7/71

 

 

DE 321057 at Thurso 4/72 marked as Inverness dist. Ballast Sidings(Staff) painted green

 

 

 

More to come.

 

[Graham R]

No wonder you kept running out of film ... you took a shot of everything on four wheels!

 

Seriously, these are great photos - please keep them coming.

 

Graham

[Ben04uk]

Many thanks for sharing, very interesting indeed.

[Ben Alder]

Thanks. I developed an interest in wagons by default ,really. I was never much taken by diesels- still amn't, and the only variety to be seen was wagons. We used to watch the engine shunting from the school playground, and from any classroom window that overlooked the site. A popular trip at lunchtimes was to the station via the mart or along the fence that bordered it and through the cattle and coal sidings to the station kiosk or a trip to the auction room if a sale was on. Happy days!...

 

Just wish I had the means to have taken more, but there still are quite a few to scan yet. There doesn't seem to have been much interest in this sort of thing at that time- when I went to uni, and met up with some like minded souls, I was looked on with pity at my strange interest. One guy, a few years older than me had spent his adolescent years chasing the last of Aberdeen's A4's- unfortunately that was not an option for me, but perhaps what I did hasn't been a waste of time. As a taster of what I saw at Ferryhill, here is a shot of one wagon- I discovered I had scanned some of my slide collection a couple of years ago, so these might appear sooner than later.

 

[Ben Alder]

A further selection of these vehicles.

 

 

Three shots of an ex-Caley coach at Kyle of Lochalsh. This coach stayed here some time and can be seen in several shots of the pier, usually in the background.

 

 

 

 

Another Gresley at Thurso in 1971

 

 

320321 at Bonar Bridge 7/8/72- an ex NB coach, IIR

 

321055 again at Bonar Bridge the same day.

 

Some more wagons- I do not seem to have noted, or lost details of most of these, but they are self explanitary, I would imagine.

 

A 3 plank somewhere in the Highlands- Strathcarron perhaps.

 

 

 

 

A 5 plank open, taken at Aberdeen Ferryhill c1975.

 

 

An ex-LNER steel open , again at Ferryhill.